July 23, 2014—Ford Motor says the 2015 F-150 will be at least 700 pounds lighter than that of the previous model year because of the use of military-grade aluminum alloy in the body and the cargo box, as well as the use of high-strength steel.

July 21, 2014—Proctor & Gamble and Whirlpool created a partnership to build an appliance that the companies say can reduce a consumer’s ironing and steaming needs and has the potential to cut your dry-cleaning expenses in half.

July 21, 2014—The Kidizoom Smartwatch ($60), which has a 1.4-inch color touch screen, can be connected to a home computer via a micro USB cable to charge the watch’s battery or to upload images, videos or voice recordings.

July 8, 2014—The manufacturer of a defective vacuum cleaner agreed to pay a $725,000 civil penalty to settle charges by Consumer Product Safety Commission that it knowingly failed to report a defect in the product’s electrical wiring.

July 25, 2014—Consumers who purchase subsidized health insurance through markets that are run by the federal government likely have no reason to worry about a federal courts clash that challenges the legality of such subsidies, three independent health-insurance experts tell Consumers Digest.

March 27, 2014—Federal Trade Commission proposed changes to its Fuel Rating Rule today that recognizes a new octane-rating method and revises requirements for blends of gasoline that have more than 10 percent ethanol.

July 25, 2014—Consumers who purchase subsidized health insurance through markets that are run by the federal government likely have no reason to worry about a federal courts clash that challenges the legality of such subsidies, three independent health-insurance experts tell Consumers Digest.

Game Day: Game Tables that Score

Pool, Table-Tennis, Foosball & Air-Hockey Tables

Declining sales led to a shuffled deck among game-table manufacturers. In the aftermath, consumers should expect to pay more for the latest products, particularly pool tables. The good news? Tables for pool and table tennis deliver new storage options for accessories.

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During the recession, the game-table industry was forced to call a time out. Declining sales because of a sluggish economy forced a number of manufacturers to close and others to restructure or merge with larger companies. Since 2007, the dollar amount of sales of pool tables declined by 26 percent, according to Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association.

As a result, game-table manufacturers spent much more time trying to save their businesses than creating products or features. So you won’t find any dramatic changes to tables for air hockey, foosball, pool or table tennis. You will find that the price of pool tables has shot through the roof.

The good news for consumers is that manufacturers of pool tables and table-tennis tables have created storage options for accessories. Air-hockey fans will be happy, because commercial-grade air blowers now exist on economy models.

BANK SHOTS.The biggest development in pool tables gives a whole new meaning to the term “money shot.” Prices have increased by as much as 35 percent on pool tables since 2008, based on our analysis. For instance, our economy Best Buy selection for pool tables, the Connelly Redington ($2,695), costs $700 more than it did 4 years ago. That’s a dramatic leap, but, unfortunately, if you pay less than $2,000 for a pool table in 2012, we believe that you won’t get a model that will stand up to residential use. Instead, you’ll encounter tables that have uneven playing surfaces or sagging frames.

Best Buys in Game Tables

The main reason that prices for consumers skyrocketed is increased costs for quality materials, such as 1-inch-thick slate, delivery-related fuel and labor, says Rob Johnson of Billiards Congress of America. These costs have been passed on to consumers. It’s unclear whether pool-table prices will increase in 2013, but it’s clear that they won’t drop, experts say.

For example, the price that manufacturers pay for table cloth has increased by as much as 20 percent compared with prices from 4 years ago, according to Ivan Lee, who is the president and CEO of Iwan Simonis, which supplies cloth for game-table manufacturers.

The Art of Table Tennis

A cost-conscious consumer might be tempted to save money on his/her purchase by picking a model that has lower grade woolen cloth (commonly called felt), which reduces the cost of an 8-foot table by at least $125 but is more prone to wear and tear than is high-grade worsted cloth. We believe that a model that has worsted cloth is worth the extra cost in the long run, because the material lasts about 10 years, which typically is three times longer than what woolen cloth lasts on a pool table, cloth manufacturers and pool-table retailers tell us. You can expect to pay as much as $450 to have a table re-covered, which can turn into an additional $900 expense over the life of a table that has worsted cloth. In other words, the money saved upfront will be forfeited down the road.

Some of the latest models also have a new storage feature that will drive up the price. Manufacturers introduced an optional drawer that’s under the slate bed for the storage of balls, chalk, cue sticks and racks in late 2008. You should expect to pay at least an extra $600 to add such a drawer to an 8-foot table, which is at least $400 more than what you’d pay for traditional storage racks that either sit on the floor or are wall-mounted.

TABLE SERVICE. One table-tennis table manufacturer also has created a unique storage option. Under the heading of “Why Didn’t Anyone Think of This Before?” Stiga in July 2011 introduced the first series of table-tennis tables that have built-in ball-storage space on each end.